Vote for DVF Award Honoree Kakenya Ntaiya for the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year Award

Cheering for Kakenya

October 11, 2013

Today is the second annual International Day of the Girl Child to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. So we are excited to announce that 2011 DVF Awards Honoree Kakenya Ntaiya—an extraordinary woman who is facing these challenges head on—has been selected as a top 10 finalist for the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year Award. A fearless pioneer for girls’ education, Kakenya Ntaiya founded the Kakenya Center for Excellence, the first primary school for girls in Enoosaen, in 2009 after becoming the first girl to leave her village and pursue an education in the United States. The school has since grown from a class of 30 students to serve 160 girls who represent the area’s most vulnerable and underprivileged.

Kakenya is a true inspiration and she needs our help! As a top ten finalist, Kakenya will receive $50,000 for her organization. If she wins, she will receive an additional $250,000 to help better the lives of girls in her community and beyond. “I want to show people how one person can create a movement,” Kakenya has said. And we want to show her how one vote can make a difference. So, you can help my voting (up to once a day!) through November 17: http://heroes.cnn.com/